TITLE: Sunset and Sangria

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: M

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: Sequel to Bliss and Bubbly, Bruce and Diana go on their honeymoon, but a dark cloud still hangs over Bruce's head. BMWW

Sunset and Sangria

Bruce sat on a chaise lounge along the beach, his long legs stretched out before him. The warm tropical breeze blew across his body that still thrummed from the passionate activities of the last twenty-four hours, the whirlwind of events that had changed his life forever.

He was married.

The famous playboy bachelor Bruce Wayne was officially married, his womanizing image officially shed once and for all. And he wasn't just married to any woman. He was married to an Amazon princess. Wonder Woman. Diana.

His lover.

His princess.

His wife.

The thought alone caused threads of love and fear, jealousy and lust as well as unimaginable happiness to weave its way through and around him, entwining in his soul. Fear….always the fear. It found him no matter where he was even on his honeymoon. Despite being the happiest that he'd ever been since the night his world was shattered, it was a powerful thread in him that he could never sever no matter how hard he tried.

His life was at last being woven into a picture that he was proud of, one that he had actually dreamed of at one time, but had dared not hope for. Even though he now had everything he'd wanted, the fear still lingered like a dark specter waiting to strike. Despite spending the last several hours in the arms of the most incredible woman in the world, fear still threatened to destroy the contentment and euphoria that came with being with the one that held his heart.

Fear he was going to lose her.

Fear he was going to end up driving her away.

Fear that his enemies would somehow link them romantically and target her.

Fear that she would realize she loved Clark more than just as friends.

Bruce felt his fingers automatically tighten on the glass in his hand, tension as well as jealousy slicing through him like shards of broken glass. In his heart, he knew that Diana loved only him. She had more than proven that to him over and over again when they made love. It was his damn paranoia and demons from the past that created little fissures of doubt and "what if's" that he just couldn't seem to shake.

He took another drink of his sangria as he watched the sun setting over the ocean. He hated himself for the bleak thoughts that continued to creep into the recesses of his mind in an effort to break him. He was on his honeymoon on a private island in the Caribbean with the woman he loved more than life itself…a woman who was inside sleeping naked in his bed and he was out here brooding like he always did when he was afraid.

Things were too perfect right now. It was only a matter of time before it would all come crashing down around him.

He released a frustrated breath as he watched the waves rolling onto the beach only to retreat once more, listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean and the seagulls. He was in paradise with a goddess and he was out here worrying that he was going to lose her.

Alfred was right. He did need his head examined.

Losing himself in the way the red and orange rays of the setting sun seemed to dance across the top of the ocean waves, he didn't notice he had company until she was almost to him. Her thrilling scent that created tingles in the deepest parts of him alerted him just moments before her fingers found his hair.

"What are you doing out here?" she tentatively asked, concern lacing her words as she lovingly ran her fingers through his black hair. "You haven't grown tired of me already have you?"

Bruce's lips curled at the corners as he reached up to gently pull her hand from his hair, bringing to his lips to kiss her knuckles. His fingers wrapped around her wrist before pulling her fully into his lap. His gaze eagerly roamed over her scantily clad body, admiring the way the navy blue lace and silk of her lingerie barely covered her body. It did absolutely nothing to calm his desire for her that continually simmered deep in his core for her. He couldn't seem to get enough of her.

"I could never grow tired of you, Princess," he reassured her, tracing the curve of her face with his knuckles before brushing some raven curls behind her ear.

Diana snuggled into his muscular arms, leaning her head against his shoulder as she released a contented sigh. She loved the feel of his arms wrapped so protectively around her and claiming her as his own. Knowing he was finally all hers only added to the warmth and happiness that pervaded her heart.

"I woke up to find you gone," she commented, her hand coming to rest on his bare chest. She idly began tracking over his countless scars with the tip of her finger, smiling to herself as a subtle shiver gripped him with her sensual ministrations.

"I thought you could use some sleep," he replied, tilting to kiss the top of her head as he began to run his fingers through her hair that was like the finest silk.

Diana breathed in his freshly showered, masculine scent that was so Bruce, turning to lightly press her lips against his chest. "I missed you," she confessed.

Bruce chuckled softly with her admission, his melancholy mood lifting somewhat with her presence. "I didn't go far," he pointed out, caressing her hair with his nose and savoring her scent.

"I know," she murmured, closing her eyes as she slipped her arms around him. "I thought for a moment that maybe you had already changed your mind about marrying me."

Though she tried to sound like she was teasing, he could sense the underlying fear that went unspoken as she subtly tightened her hold on him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as if trying to get as close to him as humanly possible, curling her body into him.

It suddenly struck him harder than he would've expected that she carried doubts about his commitment to her even now. Hadn't he more than proven to her that he wasn't going to push her away anymore? He proudly wore her ring on his finger now, something that he hadn't realized he'd wanted so deeply until her.

Hurt instantly welled within him that she still feared he'd push her away even now after marrying her, prickling his anger as well. Of course, he could hardly throw stones when he had just been struggling with fears of his own concerning her and their future. Guilt abruptly replaced the hurt that had just been there, anger directed at himself now instead of her.

He pulled her arms away from him, forcing her to sit up on his lap so he could look at her. "I have never regretted opening my heart to you and I definitely don't regret marrying you, Diana," he firmly stated, his hand coming to rest against the side of her face as he gazed into her eyes.

The brilliant sunset created a striking glow around her, practically setting her on fire as well as him and his rapidly escalating need for her. "I'd be lying if I told you that I'm not struggling with lingering fears, but I'm…working on it."

Diana's brow furrowed as she caught a glimpse of that fear swimming in his blue eyes in the diminishing daylight. She grasped his face in her hands, making sure he paid full attention to her as she spoke. "I will never leave you, Bruce," she attempted to reassure him, emphasizing each and every word with the love she carried in her heart for him "There is nothing in this world that could make me stop loving you."

Bruce averted his eyes, guilt and shame welling in his chest as jealous thoughts of her dancing in Clark's arms drifted through his mind again. "I know," he whispered, but she could tell he wasn't being fully honest with her.

"Bruce, what is it?" she gently cajoled him, shifting her weight to straddle his lap. "Please, talk to me. I want to help you. I want you to enjoy our honeymoon, not brood about something that might not even happen."

His hands came to rest on her hips, his eyes momentarily falling closed. "It could though," he murmured, ashamed of his jealous fears. He never meant for her to know.

"What could happen?" she asked with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Princess…it's nothing," he attempted to reassure her, but failed miserably. "Let's go inside and have some dinner. I'm sure Alfred stocked the fridge with all of your favorites."

"No, not until you talk to me," she insisted with a frown, refusing to move from her position on top of him.

He knew he wasn't going to win this battle with her. Despite having a very formidable rogues gallery, his own wife had proven to be his most arduous opponent especially in an argument. She rivaled him in determination and her iron-will clashed with his more times than he could count.

"I just can't help wondering…who you'll move on to after I die," he quietly confessed, his words weighed down by the emotions teeming within him.

This was supposed to be the happiest day of his life and instead he found himself battling his paranoia even now with the woman of his dreams right here on his lap. Watching her and Clark dance at their wedding reception had only intensified the latent fear and now he found it almost impossible to shake free from it.

"Bruce," she murmured his name, sorrow permeating her expression. Her blue eyes glistened with instant tears with the thought of his dying. "Why are you thinking about this on our honeymoon?"

He shook his head as he took her hands in his. "I'm so sorry…it's just…I'm afraid of losing you and I'm afraid of you ending up with someone else after I'm gone. I can't bear the thought of you…"

His voice trailed off, but Diana suspected she knew the source of his fears. "I'm not going to run to Kal the second you die," she angrily ground out; hurt that he would think so little of her love for him.

His head dipped in overwhelming shame, feeling horrible for ruining their honeymoon with his issues that seemed to rise up out of nowhere when he least expected it. "I know how close the two of you are, Diana," he attempted to explain, finally lifting his head to meet her gaze full of such hurt. "It makes sense that you two would turn to each other for comfort after Lois and I pass away."

"Bruce…" she began, sudden understanding dawning on her. "Is that what you and Lois were discussing while you danced at our reception?

He nodded his head, biting his bottom lip. He hated himself for hurting her like this, his darkness threatening to snuff out her light. "I saw you and Clark dancing together and it just…I'm sorry, Diana. I never meant to hurt you."

Her hurt and anger was swiftly replaced with compassion and a need to make him understand as realization dawned on her. "Just because everything is perfect in our lives right now doesn't mean that it's going to be all taken away tomorrow."

"You don't understand, Diana," he softly said. "That's the way it's always been for me. Everything seems so perfect and…and then it's just…gone. I won't survive if you're taken from me…and the thought of you with Clark just…"

"First of all, you're not going to lose me," she interrupted him, cradling his face with her hands. "I am not like any other woman that you've been with before. I won't go down without a fight. Second, I am definitely not going to marry Kal after you're gone. He's like a brother to me—nothing more.

You are mine and I am yours, Bruce. We are one heart, one soul, one body and there is nothing in this world that could ever break the bond that we share with one another…not even death."

He silently nodded his head in understanding, swallowing back the thick knot of tears that stuck in his throat. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers. "I just love you so much," he whispered, afraid to test his voice any further at that moment.

She nuzzled her nose against his, her warm breath pulsating against his face. "I know…and I love you too," she reassured him with a tender smile. "You can't escape me, Bruce Wayne. If you arrive in Elysium before me, just remember that I'll eventually be coming for you and then we'll be together for all eternity."

Bruce's lips curled with her reassurances, his fears unable to withstand his wife's understanding, warmth and light. "I don't know what I ever did to even capture your attention let alone your heart."

"There's no other person in the world I'd rather be with forever than you," she murmured, her lips finding his in a kiss that sealed her profession of love. "Never, ever doubt that again."

His fingers threaded through her raven hair as he fully returned her kiss, wondering how she had managed to pull him back from the abyss once more. He tilted his head as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding against hers as he explored the warm cavern of her mouth all over again.

She broke the kiss to catch her breath, a smile on her lips. "What have you been drinking?" she asked with a lilting chuckle, tasting something she hadn't expected.

"Surprise you?" he asked with a coy smirk.

"I wasn't expecting to taste alcohol," she admitted. "I thought you didn't like to drink alcohol."

"Only on special occasions, but I don't get smashed like I did in the past," he confessed. "The housekeeper left a pitcher of sangria for us to have with our dinner."

She tenderly caressed his handsome face, her fingers pausing to stroke his hair as her face grew solemn. "Feeling better now?"

He nodded his head as he gazed into her eyes. "I don't know how you always manage to bring me back from myself," he thoughtfully said. "I'd be so lost without you, Diana."

"It's a good thing you won't have to live without me then," she lightly teased.

Both knew it was a promise that she could never fully keep, but they knew they'd do everything in their power to make it back to each other no matter what it took. He lightly ran his fingers down her arms, watching the gooseflesh he awakened on her bronzed skin before gripping her hips. He was more than anxious to feel her skin against his once more, to be inside of her and hear her panting his name in that sensual tone that caused him to lose it every time. It was like coming home every time they came together…absolute perfection that left him feeling so complete and at peace.

His fingers dug into her hips almost to the point of bruising, holding her firmly in his grasp as he attacked her mouth with his own. Taking her out here on the beach as the sun began to sink past the horizon was quickly becoming one of the most arousing experience of his life as passion flared between them once more.

Their kisses rapidly escalated, the heat they were generating radiating off their bodies with every touch. Diana slowly traced the dips and curves of his chest her fingers, circling his nipples and pausing to rake her fingernails over them. She dipped her head, her mouth finding his pulse point, nipping and sucking on his skin.

Bruce's eyes fell closed with a hissing gasp, the sting of pain mingled with pleasure heating his blood in a way that only she ever truly could. With her, he'd found himself in a whole new stratosphere of pleasure and love, desire and gratification that he never even knew existed until he'd let her into his life.

He felt that he finally understood what it was that his parents had shared with one another, the love and reverence that he'd witnessed between them. He'd fought for so long so that others would be able to have a chance at a life and a love like that, never truly believing that he'd find that once in a lifetime kind of love. In Diana, he had more than found that love.

His hands roamed over her back as they kissed, keeping things slow and gradually building her pleasure as he poured every ounce of the love he felt for her into every caress, every kiss. His breathing grew labored as his fingers slipped up into her hair, cradling her head as he kissed her breathless.

"Bruce…" she moaned his name as she tilted her head, offering more of herself to him as he planted biting kisses along her throat and collarbone.

She began to squirm on his lap, her knees gripping his thighs as she stroked his sides before renewing her exploration of his chest. He moaned as she shifted her position over him, her mouth finding his nipple. She raked her teeth over it before sucking hard, her tongue sweeping over it.

Bruce's hands moved to grip her backside as he tilted his head back against his chair, gasping with the pleasure that shot through his body like an electrical current before settling low in his pelvis. He had to have her now before he lost his mind, finding relief and release in her.

His fingers slipped beneath the edge of her lingerie, stroking her backside before lifting the lacy material up. She pulled back long enough to allow him to slowly pull the lingerie over her head, his predatory gaze roaming over her perfect form.

Tossing the lacy material aside, his mouth latched on to her full breast, his hands moving back to her hips. Diana moaned something throaty as her hands settled on the back of his head, keeping him where she wanted him as he devoured her with his mouth and tongue. She moved her hips, grinding against him and causing him to increase his ministrations.

She reached for the waistband of his shorts, pulling the strings loose and freeing him from its confine. She guided him to her entrance, both of them growing more and more desperate to be connected once more. She cried out her pleasure as he once again invaded her body, stretching her to accommodate his impressive girth.

Her hands left his hair, one settling on his shoulder, the other finding the back of his chair. She began to rock her hips, working him deeper and deeper inside of her until she fully enveloped his engorged member. He was so hot and hard inside of her, causing her to squirm and wiggle as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Diana…" he panted her name, sucking in a deep breath in an effort to keep from falling apart right there.

Her lips crashed into his as she kissed him hard, savoring this intimacy and the deeper level of understanding that they had reached tonight. He had opened up to her tonight, showing her his fears and she found she loved him even more for it. She was desperate to show him that love now.

She began to move her hips, rocking against him and further setting him on fire as she made love to him. She murmured her love for him as she kissed behind his ear, creating a sensual path along his throat. Her fingers gripped the back of her chair harder as he raised his hips to meet each of her downward movements, feeling him delve even deeper inside of her.

She paused to rotate her hips, causing him to groan, his breath catching in his chest as his head fell back. He swore he was going to black out if he didn't find his release soon, but he was determined to make sure she came before him. She deserved as much pleasure he could possibly give her, his love for her permeating every fiber of his being.

He fisted her hair in his hand as he tilted her head to the side, his lips finding her pulse point. She cried out as his other hand began to stroke her center, causing her to almost lose her rhythm as inexplicable pleasure shot through her. She came with a strangled cry, Bruce gripping her hips and holding her down as he pumped up into her several times before coming with a panting groan of relief.

She collapsed against him, his arms wrapping firmly around her trembling form as he tilted his head to kiss her. "I love you…Diana," he murmured, breathing labored. "I sorry I ruined our honeymoon. I just…I love you so much…it scares me sometimes."

She brushed her nose against his as she caressed his chest, her lips grazing his. "I love you too, Bruce, and you didn't ruin anything," she reassured him, caressing his cheek. "I just appreciate you talking to me instead of shutting me out. I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

He held her close, the feel of the tropical breeze against their skin slick with sweat a sweet relief to the fire that still smoldered between them. "I know," he admitted. "You just might need to beat me over the head sometimes to remind me of that."

Her lips curled into a warm smile as she rested her forehead against his brow. "I'd be more than happy to beat it into you to help you remember."

"I'm sure you would," he replied with a mock grimace as he tightened his arms around her.

"Let's go eat," she suggested. "I'm starving. You wore me out today."

"I hope you're not too worn out for later tonight…or now," he teased as he stood to his feet, keeping himself buried inside of her as he began to carry her towards the ocean.

"I love how you think, husband," she agreed with a sultry kiss.

Bruce paused on the sandy beach to kick off his shorts before entering the warm water with his wife, the last rays of sunlight dancing across the top of the ocean as they kissed.